One of the concerns voiced by Nikita fans was that the dark spy show might end up getting a CW retooling to make it more like the other shows on the network. According to Entertainment Weekly, that concern is now a reality.
According to Michael Ausiello, "Specifically, The CW is looking to lighten the show’s somber mood and jack up its title character’s love life."
Insert groaning from the show's loyal viewer base now.
Of course, it all comes down to demographics; Ausiello says this change is motivated by the show's inability to hold onto 18-to-34 year-old females, losing 54 percent of that audience when Vampire Diaries ends. As someone in that age demographic myself and watching it, I'm confused, but okay.
While a source in the article says it's only "slight tweaks ahead," I'm not sure I believe them. The show has already put out a casting notice for a new love interest for Nikita, one of several new characters the article says they're looking for. The confidant and would-be beau is a CIA case officer. “Moms want to marry off their daughters to this kid,” the casting notice says.
I contacted my CW source, who wasn't able to clarify the information in the EW article; The CW has made no official statement.
Personally, I think this is a disastrous move on the behalf of everyone involved, especially as the series is just now starting to find its legs. One of the things that fans (and critics) noted about Nikita was how its dark tone and grittier feel wasn't like all the other CW shows, and how that was a great departure from the norm. I don't want it to become, as fans have so perfectly already coined it, the spy version of Gossip Girl.
Furthermore, the show hasn't yet developed all the regulars it already has (poor Ashton Holmes and Tiffany Hines are still waiting for storylines), so why add more when you haven't yet handled all the ones you have? Not to mention that new characters will only take away from the screen time of the ones the fans are enjoying right now. Especially a new love interest for Nikita? I hear the people hoping for a Michael and Nikita romance (the one thing The CW already loves to tease us with) crying foul already. Network retooling usually never goes well, and I hope it doesn't destroy a perfectly good series just because of some statistics.
Let me hear you, Nikita fans. Are you as filled with dread as I am?
Well, since the CW hasn't commented yet – and AskAussielo told us Ray/Neela fans back in ER that Ray would be returning with a ring and nothing like that happened I'm not too worried.
Plus, Maggie seems really strong headed and passionate about the show, so I don't think that she or any of the other cast members would let the CW muck up what they have.
I don't think they would have much of a choice. If the CW wants to do it, they can do it, and Maggie and the rest are contractually obligated to fall in line.
Sam, are you thinking back to Law & Order?
I don’t think they would have much of a choice. If the CW wants to do it, they can do it, and Maggie and the rest are contractually obligated to fall in line.
He does sometimes get it wrong, so I'm hoping this is one of those cases.
Networks do sometimes push shows into a corner, though – and since they hold the axe of cancellation over their heads, they can get away with it. There might be a fight, but ultimately, CW controls the airwaves.
It's odd because Vampire Diaries is plenty dark in and of itself, considerign vampires regularly kill bystanders just for kicks. Hell, they had a vampire rip open two police deputies just last week; nothing on Nikita is that dark, dark as it may be.
Seems like executives are again misreading the numbers. The drop isn't really surprising when one considers that there's a sharp reduction in male eye candy going from Vampire Diaries to Nikita. Not everyone watching TVD is doing so for the engaging storylines.
I hate when things on TV come down to a numbers game. You can twist numbers any way you want. I see press releases every day where all of the major networks claim they won the previous night.
The main reason i watch the show is for the present tone. It seems to me they want this show fail. Putting it up against Fringe the office and outsourced. Go ahead and change it up Ill stop watching, still got Fringe.
I'm really pleasantly surprised Nikita is holding its own against Fringe. Yet it wouldn't disappoint me if that doesn't last if the show goes some new direction.
This really pisses me off.
You, me and about everyone that I've seen comment on it. I checked EW's comments for this article and most of them (as far back as I read) were resoundingly negative.
WORDDDD to everything you said in your article! this is BULL. The CW wouldnt know good storytelling and character development if it hit them between the eyes!
And as a obsessed Nikita AND Mikita (Michae&Nikita) fan since the pilot and ever before…
Damn STRAIGHT im gonna cry foul at this…
It does seem a bit of a cop-out. The CW teases us with a relationship (past, present or both) between Michael and Nikita, and then brings in someone else. I hope it doesn't end up like Bones where they continue to bring in a string of love interests you know won't last just to keep the two leads from getting together. They don't NEED to get together, but it would be jerking the fans around if they kept dragging it out or messing it up.
I'm also in the 18-34 female demographic and frankly I find it really disappointing that not more females are interested in a show with a strong female lead and interesting character backstories. That being said, I don't think I'd mind if they added a love interest as long as it doesn't distract from the Nikita and Alex stories too much.
I have long since stopped trying to figure out why people don't get into shows. It baffles me every year some of the shows that get cancelled when we think they'll be great, or the crappy shows that stay on for years. People in general confuse me.
As for the arrival of a love interest, it has a lot of potential to screw things up. We've already seen them tease us with the Michael/Nikita angle, and then the huge impact that Daniel's death had on Nikita. So for her to jump into something with someone else would ring false to me, depending on how it's done. It reminds me of how in Season 2, 24 tried to force a love interest on Jack. It just didn't work.
I'm also in the 18-34 demographic and to be frank, they lost me on the first show [not to anything to be honest - with a young son, I have to catch all my TV on hulu]. Yes, sure, strong female lead and all that jazz. The show was painfully boring compared to the old La Femme Nikita series [which itself wasn't a favorite of mine]. And yeah, it's dark – but so was the old one. This one had me more concerned about excess gore than darkness tbh.
And if they are in fact, changing this to fit their channel's image – yet again, then eh, just confirms that I did the right thing in dropping it.
I am in the 18-34 demo as well, I have to say I am really enjoying this as a darker story. I dread it becoming as its been put 'the spy version of Gossip Girl.'
I only tuned in because it was different from the other CW shows, it pisses me off to think the CW wants to turn it into another melodramatic show.
I think a lot of people appreciated the difference. Even the critics who didn't like the show have pointed out the tone as being a real departure for CW. It makes no sense to take that unique feature away from the show.
This is so stupid. I'm in the 18 – 34 demographic as well, and I happen to disagree with this "tweaking" idea. This is what a spy show is suppose to be: 95% ACTION. 5% DRAMA, and that's being generous.
I'm sick and tired of all the kid-like spy shows like, "Covert Affairs," "Burn Notice," "Undercovers," "Chuck," and the pathetic USA series, "La Femme Nikita" (1997 – 2001), that was based off of the original film. The french film (1990), including the American remake, "Point of No Return" (1993), were ACTION/THRILLER films with an ounce of drama. The first series was nearly all drama, and the action sucked at that.
This new series starring Maggie Q and Shane West got it right. It is mostly action with a little bit of drama to mix it up a bit. Now, the CW wants to "tweak" it so Nikita gets yet, another love interest? Uh why? It's already good like it is, and it is the second highest rated show on the network. ARE YOU STUPID? This "tweak" is just going to kill a great show in the spy genre. And that's really too bad, because it's the only show in the spy genre that currently lives up to it's name.
Plus, it's a slap in the face to Maggie Q. This is her genre, and they are killing it with more drama. Maggie Q is not only a great actress, she is a badass martial artist who relies on her train from Jackie Chan, and apparently doesn't do anything but yoga and the choreography needed for any project she is working on. That being said, the fact that Maggie Q does her own stunts, and looks as good as she does, wouldn't it be a waste of talent to "tweak" a show that has all the resources it needs? Most shows, especially in the spy genre, would have to continually hire stuntmen, which wastes more money. I know they hire some stuntmen for "Nikita," but not as much as other shows do because the cast does their own stunts. It just seems to be a waste, and a slap in the face to Maggie Q to me. I highly doubt she signed on for the drama. Maggie signed on for the action. And action is what the show should always be.
Why does the CW think all of their shows have to be dramas anyways? They really need to get away from that… mix it up a bit. They seem to want to nix all of their action-based shows like "Supernatural," "Smallville" (although that show is more half and half) and now "Nikita." They are idiots. Those are their BEST shows.
They should nix "Gossip Girl" (that show is so stupid. It's one scandal after another. It's sick) "One Tree Hill" (that show was good until Hilarie Burton and Chad Murray left… it had meaning. Now it's another version of Gossip Girl), "Life Unexpected" (that show is just boring. And the crossover sucked), and "America's Next Top Model" (reality tv shows should be on a complete network of its own. They are so stupid… the models are actually much prettier without all that FUGLY crap they put on. And the makeup is atrocious).
I actually like the "Hellcats" (I know, shame on me right? But, it's a decent show. It has a One Tree Hill beginning feel… it has meaning. The drama is a tad annoying but I can deal. The routines aren't bad, they actually mention God in the show and not in a negative way [which says a lot about the show - especially since it's a teen drama], and some of the actors and actresses are actually decent. Although, I must say, some of the hook-ups they create between characters are bad choices! Marti and Lewis? EW. It was ok when they flirted – but the moment they kissed – it was not working for me. LOL. I do like the whole Vanessa and Red thing going on, it actually has me interested. :O
Ok… anyways… wow I went way off topic. NIKITA DOESN'T NEED CHANGING. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEADS CW. AND LISTEN TO THE FANS FOR ONCE!!!
I'd disagree with you that a spy series (or any other series) has to fit into a particular box. I was, and am, a fan of "Chuck," "Burn Notice," and the original "La Femme Nikita." The tones for those shows work well with their concepts, and they're enjoyable for entirely different reasons. But that's an entire other debate.
It is ancillary, however, to the point that myself and fans such as yourself have been trying to make since this idea was announced. No TV series should be forced to conform to a paint-by-numbers mold, especially when that show is one of your better-performing (I've read a lot of threads on the weak freshman class for this TV season, and "Nikita" is mentioned repeatedly as one of the shows people are actually watching). It's even more ludicrous when you consider that they marketed the show based on that difference.
It's obvious from the comments on this article that people don't just enjoy "Nikita" for one thing. You are an obvious proponent of the action. I enjoy the character development. A lot of us love the tone and atmosphere. So why try to make everything fit to one concept of what's good? It doesn't make sense.
I'm soooooo not looking forward to this new guy. It's ridiculous! There's already a ton of sexual tension between the characters, a love interest isn't needed. She's still getting over Daniels death, or at least she's supposed to be. Don't kill it by adding someone else. Shane West is all the hotness we need!
If they have her suddenly get over Daniel just so she can sleep with someone else, I am going to be majorly annoyed. I hate when TV shows gloss over someone's past or current relationship just to throw them into a new one.